1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is related to an image processing apparatus and an image processing program, which is equipped with a non-volatile storage apparatus such as a hard disk drive (HDD) having a large storage capacity, for storing thereinto either image data of an original read by an image reading apparatus or image data transmitted via a communication line such as a LAN in an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine, a printer, a facsimile machine, or a multifunction machine of these electronic appliances, to which an electrophotographic system has been applied. More specifically, the present invention is directed to an image processing apparatus and an image processing program, which are capable of deleting in a higher efficiency image data stored in a non-volatile storage apparatus having a large storage capacity such as a hard disk drive (HDD), while higher productivity is maintained.
2. Description of the Related Art
As this sort of image forming apparatus such as a copying machine, a printer, a facsimile machine, or a multifunction machine of these electronic appliances, to which an electrophotographic system has been applied, it is known to provide digital copying machines and digital multifunction machines. In these digital copying machines and digital multifunction machines, while either image data of originals read by image reading apparatus or image data transmitted via communication lines such as LAN are temporarily stored into non-volatile storage apparatus having large storage capacities such as hard disk drives (HDDs), the image data stored in the hard disk drives (HDDs) are properly read out, and after a predetermined image processing operation is carried out with respect to this read image data, either black/white images or images in a full color mode are printed. In such image forming apparatus, even when printing operations are accomplished, the image data are brought into such a condition that the image data still remain stored in the hard disk drives (HDDs).
Also, even in such a case that the image data stored in the above-described hard disk drives (HDDs) are erased, in accordance with a general-purpose data deleting method, management information of data is normally and merely erased, but the image data per se are brought into such a condition that these image data are left in the storage areas of the hard disk drives (HDDs) where the image data have been stored until any other data are overwritten with these storage areas.
As a consequence, in such a case that under such a condition that the image data remains stored in the above-explained image forming apparatus, the hard disk drive (HDD) is dismounted in a certain way, 13 and then, the data stored in this hard disk drive (HDD) is read out, or the data stored in the hard disk is read out via either a network or an external interface, there are some possibilities that such an information which has been stored in the hard disk drive (HDD) is analyzed so as to restore the image data. Thus, there is a certain risk that the analyzed information is leaked from the image forming apparatus. As a result, in the case that confidential information such as secret information for a third party is handled in the above-explained image forming apparatus, measures with respect to an information leak problem must be taken.